John gibbon



(N o Mo deL) J. GIBBON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented May29 l883.

RS. Pholo-Uthognphnn waahinglun, D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GIBBON, UNITED STATES ARMY.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,533, dated May 29, 1883.

Application filed December I5, 1882. (No model.)

States Army, now stationed at Fort Laramie,

in the countyof Laramie, and in the Territory of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Switches; and I do. hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a pant of this specification, in which-- I Figure l is a plan view ofmy invention as applied to a railway-track, and Fig. 2 is a] side elevation of the same.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

The design of my invention is to enable a horse-car to be run from a main track upon a side track without rendering necessary the manipulation of a switch-rail by the driver; and to this end said invention consists in a switch-rail provided with a central longitudinal groove for the reception of the flange of a car-wheel, pivoted at its rear end, and having its front end adapted to swing between and coincide with the ends of a main track rail and a side-track trail, substantially as hereinafter specified.

[n the annexed drawings, A and A represent the rails of the main track, and B and B the rails of the side track, of a railroad of usual construction. -At the intersection of the outer rail, B, of the side track with the inside rail, A, of the main track is placed a short rail, G,

which, within its face, is provided with agroove,

c, that has such transverse dimensions as to permit of the passage of the flange of an ordinary car-wheel. The rail 0 is pivoted at its rear end upon a suitable support, and is capable of motion thereon in a horizonal plane to enable its front end tobe swung into engagement with the end of either the main-track .rail A or the side-track rail B. When in entinue alongsaid maintrack; but when turned 5 into line with said side track the car would pass onto the latter. The switch-railG. is opcratedsolely by the wheels of a car. When it is desired to continue along the main-track no attention to said switch-rail is required, and it maintains its position as part of said track;

but when it is necessary to run a car upon the side track the horses are caused to pull said car toward such side, when the flangeof the front y.

wheeljwill engage with the groove of said switchrail and carry its front end around into engagement with the rail B, permitting the wheels treads, and having one of its ends in constant alignment with a main track and with a side track, and its opposite end adapted for lateral movement to bring eithertread into alignment with the main track, and do not claim such construction.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my'invention, what I claim as new A switch-rail provided with a central longitudinal groove for the reception of the flange of a car-wheel, pivoted at its rear end, and having its front end adapted to swing between and coincide with the ends of a main-track rail and a side-track rail, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of December, 1882. v

a JOHN GIBBON. Witnesses:

Bonner LOUDDIE, A. N. J AQKSON. 

